Coin awoke sluggishly, the incessant beeping from her desk pounding in her ears. She took a moment to reorient; how long had she been asleep? A quick check of the clock on her desk told her twenty minutes. Damn. Coin didn’t sleep often, but when she did, she was probably in her lab. Coin fondly remembered the time the crew had auctioned off her bunk since she used it so little. It was a good joke looking back, but it wasn’t so funny when Coin dropped into her bed after four sleepless days only to land right on top of the mess sergeant. Oh, right. The beeping. Coin leaned towards her desk, checking the display of her computer. It was… a summons? Captain Tyson wanted her on the bridge ten minutes ago. Shit. Coin did not need to get chewed out yet again for being late to something because she was sleeping. She hopped up, her swivel chair rolling off and crashing into a pile of scrap. Coin disregarded the mess; she had better things to worry about. She took a moment to fix her hair and her lab coat before heading out of her lab. As Coin stepped out into the corridor, she heard more beeping coming from her waist. Coin spun around several times before realizing the beeping was coming from her communicator. “Get yourself together, woman,” Coin muttered, fitting an earpiece and responding to the call. “This is Ricard.” “Coin, it’s Jacob. Where are you? Captain’s been calling for you. He searched me out to get to you,” Jacob spoke hurriedly into Coin’s ear. “I’m on my way. If he asks, I was working on that targeting computer.” “You and I both know that’s bullshit, Doctor. Get your ass up to the bridge now,” a deep, monotone voice replied in place of Jacob’s. [i]Shit.[/i] The captain was on the call too. Jacob could’ve at least given her a heads up. “Yes, sir, on my way, sir,” Coin responded, closing the call. If she was going to get chewed out, it was not going to be over a goddamn phone call. -- Coin stepped out of the lift onto the bridge, saluting Captain Tyson as soon as she approached. “Sir. Sorry I’m late, sir.” Tyson was silent. He folded his arms, a look of slight confusion on his face. Coin’s mind raced. If she wasn’t being yelled at by now, then this was serious. What could be more serious than the captain finding yet another reason to yell at her for something? “At ease, Natalia. I’m… not quite sure what to make of this.” Tyson stopped talking, holding Coin in silence. Natalia? Coin was definitely [i]not[/i] on a first name basis with the captain. Intrigued, Coin couldn’t help but raise a finger. “Um, what to make of what, sir?” She stepped forward slightly, trying to get a read on the captain. To Coin’s surprise, Tyson chuckled in response. “You can finally stop calling me that, Natalia. I’m not your commanding officer, any more.” Coin stepped back, bringing her hands to her chest and twiddling her thumbs. The captain’s ambiguity was unnerving; he was typically very to the point. At least she didn’t have to call him ‘sir.’ He was a good man, but Coin hated Tyson as her captain. “What do you mean? Am I getting reassigned to a different ship?” “Yes and no. You’re reassigned, but this isn’t like any reassignment I’ve ever seen. This comes straight from the top. Someone in the upper brass made it my responsibility to get you to Pax. No details included in the order, except that you’re going to be part of a cross-species team.” The captain smirked. “Looks like they finally decided it’s time that your decade of schooling paid off.” Coin stepped back, shocked. Did she hear that correctly? A cross-species team? [i]Pax?[/i] If she was being sent to Pax, that could only mean that she was getting reassigned to some team under the Assembly’s jurisdiction. Damn, hopefully she wasn’t going to have to play any politics. She raised a finger again, “How long do I have to pack my things?” “Your intern has already taken care of your private belongings, and any delicate equipment in your lab will most likely be sent back to a research lab somewhere. Report to the hangar bay and I’ll get you on a shuttle to Pax,” the captain replied, simply walking away from Coin, signaling the end of their conversation. Some things never change. Coin stepped back into the lift, wrapping her head around her reassignment. A cross-species team based on Pax meant that this was probably the biggest assignment she’d ever be given. She knew this was definitely not something to screw up, but what exactly was she trying to not screw up? What was this team’s purpose? A number of possibilities ran through Coin’s head, but she resolved to wait until she learned more about the team.